


Kintsugi

by Jali



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), Code Name: Sailor V
Genre: Civil War, Culture Shock, Dark Kingdom, F/M, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Magical Girls, Politics, Possession, Secret Marriage, Silver Millennium Era, Trauma, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 13:44:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11829936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jali/pseuds/Jali
Summary: [update: April 16 2018 - beta'd version now up! Thank you, NebulaGoose!!]An accidental encounter would evolve into one of the most dividing relationships in the history of the Silver Millennium –the Prince that strove for his people's benefit, and the Princess who would fight every opposition for the sake of love and peace. This story is their tale told through the lives of their two closest allies: the scrappy but clever boy who would become the King's right hand, and the Empire's beloved daughter of Venus who would become the most prestigious and powerful woman beneath the High Queen.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

>   
>    
> 
> 
> We know of the fall of the Silver Millennium, and we know the story that begins after it. However, I have long been interested in the players that contributed -knowingly or not- to the decline that led to its inevitable fall, and the children that carried the weight of empires upon their shoulders. I've been simmering an idea for _years_ about what that world might look like, so when Char presented her idea, I immediately jumped on the opportunity. Kintsugi is only one facet of that idea. Pending reception, I may continue the full epic.
> 
>  **For the SSREVMINIBANG, Char and I are known as "Team Acrobat."** Her artistic contribution was a moodboard and [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/charliechaplin2/playlist/4Ls8Lm8DsDfrsKWJssRlJB). (I've mirrored it on 8tracks [here](https://8tracks.com/jalisama/kintsugi) for those of you without Spotify.)
> 
> I also created a making-of playlist of my personal mood music while writing: [Kintsugi -behind the scenes-](https://8tracks.com/jalisama/kintsugi-behind-the-scenes). 
> 
>  
> 
>  **[update: April 16 2018]** I have a [Moon Kingdom](https://8tracks.com/jali_music/r-e-g-i-n-a-l-u-n-a-a-silver-millennium-playlist) playlist available now, for the #aesthetic of the Silver Millennium. I am moving forward with the full epic. Stay tuned to my [writing blog](http://jali-writes.tumblr.com/) for updates and WIP.

Upon the moon orbiting an unassuming, colorful planet lies a secret ruin. The greatest Empire in the Sol system since time immemorial had radiated from the satellite, touching the hottest aura of the sun to the coldest fringes of the collective. All that remains of the dynastic palace and its surrounding villages and cities are rubble —barely distinguishable from the lunar surface for the careful cut and polish of a few undamaged fragments. What had once been a coastline is arid, frozen rock. Meteors and space debris wear away the ruin a little more each year. Where song and laughter had rung out, now howls the solar winds and the silent, dull void of space.

A single tower of crystal juts from the moon’s surface like a lance in the face of its destruction. The faceted obelisk is a tomb of memories. Within its hollow center rests the remains of many great warriors and the royalty they fought for, arcane magics and technologies, promises made and broken, memories forever on replay for none to consider.

On an altar lies a broken pocket watch and a strand of pearls. In rows, twelve golden badges are tidily aligned —four denoting the long-dead kingdoms of Earth, and eight symbolizing the warriors of the system. Above the table floats a crystalline staff topped in a crescent, draped with a chain of pearls and a single golden charm.

At the center of the enclosure resides a pedestal penetrated by a sword. The pedestal displays additional warrior’s artefacts: a golden chain, gleaming epaulettes, a bejeweled golden boomerang, a helmet of tooled leather and metal. Out of place among the gleaming finery are a pair of earrings fashioned of lilac crystal and crude pewter, and beside them, a matching pewter ring. The circlet had been shattered and painstakingly reassembled, the seams soldered with thin veins of gold.

The shifting light caused by the moon’s rotation shines through the crystal walls, glitters upon the relics, and ignites the whispers of the memories worn into them.

 

~*~

Blue eyes peered through the lattice doorway while sly hands reached for one foot tucked up under the fall of her dress. The shoe’s latch was undone with a whisper of leather and satin. Gingerly, the foot was lowered, the shoe dangling precariously from bare toes. It was set down with care, and the bare foot took the weight of the body above. The same treatment was given to the other foot.

On the other side of the door, the governess shrilled on, rifling about and calling her name like a madwoman.

With both shoes removed, Aphrodite crouched to retrieve them in her hands, bind them to each other by their fastenings, and loop them about her wrist. Another glance through the lattice and then across the balcony to the railing a few paces away. She darted forward on silent feet, grabbed the railing underhand, and smoothly leapt over it, skirts and hair fluttering after her. Through the railing’s posts and the lattice doors, she could make out the governess approaching the balcony.

Aphrodite breathed in, let go of the railing, and dropped; her fingers caught the balcony floor between the posts. She breathed out as the lattice doors slammed open, disguising her faint sounds. The ivy that crept along the wall below was grasped with her toes and Aphrodite began her careful decline.

The governess cast her gaze about the balcony in dismay. She looked up, examining the roof tiles and nearby trees, then approached the balcony’s edge and peered over the railing. She saw not a golden hair of her headstrong, wayward charge.

The palm forest scattered blue light as Aphrodite ran between their trunks, her skirts gathered in her fists and long, sunlight hair streaming behind her. Her shoes sank noiselessly into the moist carpet of decomposing fronds and sand. In the distance, she could see the lights that illuminated the port and nearby agora. She could smell the Magellan lapping at the shore.

She slowed her pace as she neared the agora’s outer ring of lights, keeping to the shadows. On the illuminated terrace, she spied a young male, forever just a little taller than she, hair pulled back in a tail. Her gait shifted, her steps becoming silent, her breath steadying and growing deeper. Aphrodite let go of her skirts and, behind her back, summoned her Chain. The male moved guardedly, peering around with a sense of aloof nonchalance, as if it were perfectly normal for a lone boy to be out at the agora in the middle of the night. She narrowed her eyes. She was close enough to reach out and touch the ends of his hair bobbing above his shoulders.

“You are arrested for trespassing, intruder!”

Her declaration followed her Chain ensnaring him, dragging him to his knees. His cry of alarm was a muffled grunt beneath her hand covering his mouth.

“Throw down your weapons and comply with my wishes, or face punishment.”

Another grunt, this one less frightened though no less urgent. She released her hold on his mouth and wiped her palm on the back of his shoulder.

“I couldn’t reach my weapons if I tried.”  
“Are you resisting? Do you know who I am?”  
“A small girl with big weapons at her disposal, and a penchant for disobedience?”

She jerked her Chain tighter, glad he could not see her smirk. He grunted, though still managed to snicker.

“Must we do this every time?” he asked.  
“I know you, Kunzite. Offload them. Now. You know the laws.”  
“My lady, I have only two weapons with me, and neither of them are removable.”  
“Why not?”

Kunzite tilted his head back to gaze at her, a lazy smirk crossing his face.

“You’re still too young to know of the second, but you’re welcome to kiss me for the first. I can’t promise it won’t be deadly.”

Kunzite was tossed several feet as she abruptly recoiled her Chain and voiced an unimpressed _hmph!_

“You men are so single-minded. Up with you, let’s leave this place before anyone finds you.”

Kunzite got up and dusted himself off. He took the liberty of straightening his clothes as a means to keep her waiting. She had grown a little more since their last engagement; her gaze was that much closer to his, and her bodice had begun to fill in. Though young and still round in the face, her bare arms were lightly muscled, revealing the efforts of her training. He wondered what the rest of her under that floaty dress looked like —if it was still baby-softness, or the muscle of a warrior. Like the rest of her cadre, she had begun training before her first milk tooth had fallen.

She noted his regard and set hands on her hips.

“What are you looking at?”  
“A bud of the loveliest flower there ever was.”  
“You think you’re so clever,” she snorted, but even in the dim glow of the lighting around the agora, he could see her face coloring.

From up the path came female voices and the sounds of armor and weaponry. They did not sound hurried, but they were surely going to spot him the longer they remained.

“Come, now,” the girl hissed, grabbing his wrist and dragging him between the lights, hedge, and into the palm forest beyond. The agora revealed no trace of his arrival.

~*~

 

Aphrodite was forbidden to teach a man the ways of her women, but there was no rule against sparring. An agreement with her cousin’s darling had been arranged in secret. The Imperial Guardians would teach his guardsmen and any willing dignitaries the Empire’s ways so that they might someday integrate Earth into the Silver Millennium. It was a monumental task for a planet so under-developed, but it was the Prince’s dream to give his people all the benefits and good graces as the citizens of the Silver Millennium —health, education, economic wellness, broader culture. Aphrodite wondered if such a feat could be achieved in the Prince’s lifetime. Serenity believed in him and his people, and so Aphrodite trusted and believed in her cousin’s judgement. The King and Queen of Earth had more important matters to address, thus allowed their son his pet project, as it kept him out of trouble and gave his tutors a well-studied pupil.

When Aphrodite first met Kunzite, he had been leading the guardsmen-in-training full-tilt into the center of the Earth palace’s rose maze. Every manner of security was flooding the compound like an upturned anthill, all in a panic for having lost the Prince and the yet-publicly-declared-missing Princess of the Moon. It had been an interstellar scandal in the making: The High Princess kidnapped by barbaric terrestrials!

The Imperial Guardians-in-training teleported nearby, called for their missing Princess, and stunned the bruised and dirty boys waving their practice swords. The front lines halted and promptly toppled over as the rest of their platoon barreled into them.

The Princess had been innocently soaking her feet in the central fountain and giggling with the Prince. Her royal insignia had dimmed, and her attire was an unkempt mess, but she was unharmed. Sailor Mars was the first to embrace her while simultaneously berating her for vanishing, and also demanding to know how she’d done it.

Sailor Venus had set a hand on her hip and sighed as she surveyed the area, relieved to find her cousin safe and well. When no immediate threats were detected, she then turned her attention to the boys around them. From the rear of their procession came the voices of older men, presumably full-fledged guardsmen. She took stock of the Earth Prince and the boys with wooden swords and determined none of them meant any harm.

She wouldn’t be formally introduced to Kunzite for several months, not until the Princess’ birthday gala. The boys brought mischief, and the girls countered in approximately equal measure until the resulting escalations doomed both factions to detention and reparations. While they were made to clean up the curdled cream and chicken feathers of their final assault, Kunzite would grin smugly at Aphrodite when she glanced at him. She would snarl and scrub harder. She never ate sweet cream or soft cheese again.

Later that summer, they were reunited for the Prince’s own birthday celebrations. As leader of the Imperial Guardians, Sailor Venus had the authority to command any guards as she saw fit. That included the trainee guards, and Kunzite loved to get under her skin.

She was ten. Kunzite was infuriatingly thirteen.

 

Earth had been making strides towards catching up with the Silver Millennium’s other planets, but an old religion had resurfaced and was gaining popularity with the lower classes who feared and villainized those not of Earth. That Prince Endymion was taking steps to adopt the Empire’s social norms and technology upset those that worried their old way of life would become obsolete.

The Princess’ increasing visits to the planet was a security nightmare for the Imperial Guardians appointed as her exclusive guard. Aphrodite was often dragged from her bed by Artemis or Luna to chase Serenity down and keep watch. Attempts to bring Serenity home post-haste were met with a measure of stubbornness Aphrodite swore could outdo any mule. No amount of appeal or restraint could contain Serenity, not when her nascent powers were apt to respond to her emotional outbursts and teleport her at will. She was willing to cooperate after spending some time on Earth, so Aphrodite was reluctantly obliged to meet her half-way. It was a delicate balance to maintain her vows to the Empire and keep her sisterly relationship with her cousin who would become High Queen.

Endymion was oftentimes a target for Serenity’s excursions. Aphrodite had no doubt they secretly plotted and arranged their meetings, as they were never happenstance. With the Prince came one of his guards. Aphrodite remarked that Kunzite was remarkably young to be escorting the Prince alone, until she spied a few familiar faces in plainclothes amongst the rabble and understood just how well watched they were.

 

The villa was a sprawling, elegant confection of pale, carved-lace walls and colorful mosaic tile. The forward promenade had a silk tarp erected, and underneath were chairs of woven wood and tables topped in glass mosaic. Their surfaces bore pitchers of wine and water; and bowls of fresh fruit, nuts, and aromatic breads. Aphrodite released Serenity’s hand to let her greet the Prince and his entourage lounging in the shade. The males were attired in uncommonly light clothing that covered much of their skin, and head coverings that shielded their necks and shoulders. Both she and Serenity were wearing heavy layers of brocade and fur, for it was winter on the Moon.

“What country is this?” Aphrodite asked.  
“We are in my home country,” Kunzite answered. “My Prince has been telling the Princess tales of our bazaars and abundant food.”  
“That might explain her coin purse,” Aphrodite mused. “You know she’ll insist on paying.”  
“As her Highness desires. Come, the horses are ready.”

Aphrodite shared his wry smile and shook her head. They rode by carriage into the city, and Kunzite answered all of Serenity’s questions both small, and profound as they traveled. Aphrodite was content to observe and laugh. As they rode into town, the buildings grew denser and taller. They were crafted of a golden-brown brick plastered in clay and roofed in clay tiles that fit very neatly together. The poorer homes on the outskirts had coarse cloth hung in the windows and undecorated wooden doors. Those closer to the heart of the city were plastered or painted white, and had beautiful cobalt glass ornamenting their window and door frames. She knew they were of a wealthier class. She glanced at Kunzite and wondered which home he had been born in.

The smells of the bazaar precluded the noise, and that was where their carriage let them off. The sun was high overhead, and the air was a haze of breathless heat. Aphrodite reached for her cousin’s cloak hood to shield her fair skin before the sun had its way with her.

“Is it always so hot in your country?” Serenity asked Kunzite.  
“It is quite a bit warmer than what you are used to, your Highness. We are in the summer season, and midday is the hottest time.”

They set out down the avenue towards the bustle of the bazaar. Aphrodite felt sweat trickle down her spine. She wished she’d thought to ask not just where they were going, but to which particular season. It didn’t take long for Serenity to begin fidgeting and sighing. Aphrodite examined the passing women’s attire and asked if they might find a seamstress. The boys laughed, and Endymion tossed Kunzite a coin. Aphrodite arched a brow, but said nothing of the bet.

They were brought to a vendor, and Kunzite shared a brief exchange with the proprietress. Serenity and Aphrodite were taken by the hand, led into a square tent, and presented with various selections of garments crafted of silk or high-quality cotton. Aphrodite had only to nod or shake her head to communicate, and judging by the forced smile and urgent way the woman spoke to the girl assisting her —her daughter, perhaps?- they were pulling out all the stops to impress them.

They were fitted with loose cotton pantaloons that laced on each hip, and a sleeveless silk blouse that exposed their middles. Serenity laughed and crossed her arms across her naked belly, remarking that this country’s women must be very confident and brave to wear such revealing clothes. Aphrodite tickled her playfully until she squealed and shrieked.

They were given large lengths of cotton fabric that would be tucked into the pants’ waistband, wrapped once about the hips, and brought across their fronts and over a shoulder. The daughter demonstrated how to use the loose end to create a hood around one’s head or shield one’s face with a sly waggle of her eyebrows. Their feet were given silk slippers adorned in embroidery and leather soles.

The heat was bearable in their new attire, and they continued on. Aphrodite had never seen such a cacophony of wares all in one space. She and Kunzite took up the rear as Endymion took the lead with Serenity in hand. Casually circulating before and around them were the familiar faces of the Prince’s guard, as always. Aphrodite surmised it was a ruse to give the people a sense of informality, and the Prince an illusion of freedom.

“Don’t be alarmed because they are all looking at you,” Kunzite told her.  
“I’ll be alarmed if anyone offers violence. Let their eyes look.”  
“I’m glad to have your approval.”

Aphrodite didn’t shake off the hand that discretely grasped hers and commingled their fingers. Her free hand reached up to tuck the corner of her shawl around her face and over her ear as the vendor’s girl had instructed. She could be forgiven for blushing in the hot afternoon sun.

They browsed the spices and pottery, tasted some of the fresh fruits and cooked meats presented on handy wooden skewers. Kunzite explained the process of haggling when Serenity expressed interest in purchasing a lacquered box. She contended that it was very beautiful and had been crafted with much affection and care. Kunzite didn’t dispute the notion, and examined the box closely.

“The Princess should be allowed to pay what she believes it is worth,” Aphrodite murmured to Endymion as they observed the transaction.  
“That is not the custom here,” he replied with a smile. “If she offered two coins, they would ask for four. How much do you think the box is worth?”  
“I don’t presume to put a price on foreign handicraft without knowing the market value.”  
“Ah, very wise, Lady Aphrodite.”

She smirked at the Prince and set her hands on her hips.

“It’s not very expensive, is it?”  
“Can you put a price on beauty?”  
“I can put a price on wood and other adornments.”  
“But can you say how much the box is worth to the one who made it? Beyond the material cost.”

Aphrodite watched her Princess attempt to haggle, following Kunzite’s proffered phrases. Despite the language barrier and the vendor’s curt replies, Serenity seemed emboldened by this new experience. She listened closely to Kunzite’s words and did her best to repeat them —accent, trilled tones, and all. Aphrodite smiled softly behind her veil.

“No, I don’t suppose I can.”

Aphrodite noted the vendor’s grin at last, seemingly satisfied with Serenity’s pluck and willingness. He spoke to Kunzite, and the box was wrapped in a bit of cloth to protect it and create a carrying handle. Kunzite told Serenity the final price and she counted the amount of coins into his palm, smiling broadly at him and the elder man. The coins were exchanged, and the wrapped box was handed over. The vendor reached for Serenity’s hand; Aphrodite began to move forward to pull her charge away from harm. The man kissed the back of Serenity’s hand and bowed, touching his forehead to her knuckles before letting her go. Aphrodite grasped her elbow and firmly coaxed her away. Kunzite was of the same mind, and, with an amicable farewell to the vendor, set a hand on each of the girls’ backs to move them along. Endymion fell in line with them, and they gradually slipped back into their former arrangement.

“The man knew who she was, in spite of her attire. It was only a gesture of humility,” Kunzite said, his lips brushing the cloth against Aphrodite’s ear. His hand remained on her back, fingertips very lightly resting between her exposed shoulder-blades.  
“No one touches her from here on. I don’t care if they want to kiss the soles of her naked feet,” she hissed back. “She may enjoy the pleasures of your planet from whatever distance I can impose, and _this_ I do impose.” Kunzite sighed.  
“My dear, you are very uptight. My people are peaceful and affectionate-”  
“By the _edge of my sword_ , Kunzite.”

She lowered her voice with that, and the sharpness of her glare was not softened by the veil around her face. It sent a threatened chill down Kunzite’s spine in spite of the summer heat. Having sparred with her, he knew it was no idle declaration.

“Now, take my hand,” she demanded, affecting a louder, carefree tone. “We can’t fall behind. She might try to purchase something and get… What is the turn of phrase? Short-sticked?”  
“The short end of the stick, my Lady.”  
“Indeed.”

As the sun crept into bed, the group piled into their royal carriage and began the journey back to the villa for dinner. Serenity had purchased a variety of items and was gleefully examining them with Endymion. Kunzite turned to Aphrodite to comment on the scene and discovered her asleep against the side wall, shawl tumbled into her lap and revealing much tantalizing skin. Gingerly, he reached out to lift it back over her shoulders, and tuck the corners between her and the seat back. She stirred and turned towards him, leaned nearer, and landed her cheek gently on his shoulder.

“Hmm, are we there yet?” she sighed.  
“We have time.”

Kunzite had never smelled anything like her hair. He hoped one of the horses turned lame. As Aphrodite dozed off again, he prayed he might never wake from this dream.

 

“Again!”

Aphrodite tightened her grip on her sword and boomerang and took a breath. Between heartbeats, she sensed the movement of her first assailant to her left. The rival sickle met the edge of her boomerang. A twist of her wrist sent it sliding away harmlessly, and a booted foot reared out to kick her opponent out of reach. Aphrodite used the momentum to duck, allowing the attack behind her to roll across her back. She stood, swinging her sword to meet the Amazon’s blade aimed for her middle. A parry, slash, and kick dislodged the sword and threw her opponent onto her back. A finger’s breadth was all that kept her from meeting the next assailant’s club aiming for her head.

She skipped back, well out of range, and threw her boomerang. Her Chain was summoned, and Aphrodite lashed out with a cry. The first throw caught the Amazon’s wrist and wrapped around the club. Aphrodite yanked it free of her grasp. A hit to her lower back sent her stumbling forward. Her knuckles cracked as she grabbed the hilt in both hands and swung around; the woman on the end of her chain provided a makeshift bola. It was enough of a distraction. The broad side of her blade struck the Amazon behind her and sent her sprawling several paces away. Aphrodite clenched her teeth and snarled as she whirled around again, watching with satisfaction as her boomerang knocked out the woman now close enough to stab her with the dagger in her hand.

The warrior with the sickle returned, roaring. Her blade clanged against Aphrodite’s sword. The girl dug her feet into the ground to hold her stance, gritting her teeth against the pressure bearing down on her. Free from the Chain, the other swordswoman lunged. Aphrodite jerked aside, her dress nicked by the sharpness of the blade, and threw her sickle-wielding companion into harm’s way.

A horn blasted and the battle was ended.

Of the four that attacked, three of the women stood with Aphrodite; they kneeled before the Queen of Venus and the High Queen of the Moon. What weapons they still held were presented in upturned hands. Aphrodite panted and felt the sweat trickle down her neck, back, and between her breasts. Mother would spy the cut in her dress and frown in the way that said she had disappointed her. She could already hear her mother’s words: _“Fifty drills of each dance, and if you fail once, you will do it over from the beginning.”_

On the dais overlooking the arena, she heard a single applause.

“Marvelous, Iaquaar. Your daughter is an exemplary Guardian. She will become a fine Amazon in time, as well.”  
“We are glad for your praise, your Majesty.”  
“Lady Aphrodite, please come forward.”

Aphrodite stood, weapons still on presentation, and approached the dais. Selenity was a pearlescent vision seated on the bench. Even without her formal courtly attire, she exuded an aura of wisdom and composure. The High Queen smiled warmly and reached a hand forward to draw Aphrodite near; the girl slung her chain about her hips and pointed her sword away from the Queens to take her grasp. A stool was brought forward, and she took her seat by Selenity’s knees. The Queen offered her a silk napkin.

“You look healthy and well, cousin.”

Selenity patiently paused as Aphrodite dabbed the exertion from her face and throat.

“Thank you; you as well, cousin.”  
“How do you feel about the battle just now?”  
“I feel confident, but unsatisfied in my skill.”  
“Will you elaborate, dear?” Selenity glanced aside and caught the eye of one of their attendants. “Some refreshment for our warrior, please.”  
“Yes, your Majesty.”

Aphrodite glanced at her mother and smiled sheepishly. Iaquaar arched an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly. A crystal cup was offered on a tray, along with a porcelain dish of salted chocolate, berries, and sugared lime rind. The girl helped herself to the treats and took several swallows of water before speaking again. She glanced at the attendant and nodded her head in thanks as she ate.

“I must continue to refine my skills,” Aphrodite explained. “I received a blow to the back, and I know my dress has sustained a cut. Were it any tighter, it would be my flesh bleeding now.”

Iaquaar pursed her lips imperceptibly and lifted her chin as if to agree.

“Indeed, and what a shame that would be. But you are very skilled at your craft. Do not believe otherwise.”  
“I am exceedingly proud of my women’s tradition.”  
“When you are grown, you will become the Amazon’s General.”

Aphrodite nearly dropped her cup.

“That… That has never been done.” She gave her mother a panicked look, and then added to the Queen: “I am a Guardian to the Empire first, as my mother was, and my foremothers. It is all I have ever expected.”  
“We are living in new and interesting times, Aphrodite. Much is changing. You are an ambitious and commanding girl, and you will become a powerful woman soon enough.”

Aphrodite turned her gaze aside. The responsibilities implied in the High Queen’s declaration were astronomical, even for her, an Imperial Guardian born to a dynasty of Imperial Guardians. Her heart thundered in her chest. She took a curl of lime and suckled the sugar crust from it before eating it.

“Will I still be of the High Princess’ personal guard?”  
“Do you wish to continue serving her?”  
“Yes. Without reservation.”  
“Then I see no reason to part you from my daughter’s side. She trusts and loves you very much. Your training with the other Imperial Guardians will continue as it has been. The general and your mother, Queen Iaquaar, will know when you are ready to command the Amazons. That much I leave to their expert discretion.”  
“I agree with her Majesty,” Iaquaar added. “You will be a fine Queen and warrior, my _Aphrozjia_. And a Queen needs her consort.”

Aphrodite’s heart skipped a beat as she thought of Kunzite. She sipped her water and willed her expression to calm. One day, her mother would abdicate and pass the crown to her; would Kunzite make a suitable consort?

“Have you received the introductions? I’d enjoy reviewing them.”  
“I have already met with one suitor. He has been to several events here on Venus, though he likes to keep to his family’s villa on Earth.”  
“Oh? His name?”  
“Adonis, eldest son of Danu’s Duchess by a terrestrial father. He’s renowned for being astonishingly handsome, and his intended incomes would be a nice addition. His sisters will join the Amazons when they are of age.” She paused and finally added, “He is also a known lover of women, and interested in the politics of class and society. I think he may complement you.”

Aphrodite sighed softly and swallowed her disappointment. Of course, it wouldn’t be a terrestrial, not a pure one. Mother would never allow the bloodline to become so deeply tarnished. _But a known womanizer a complement?_ She thought. _Only if his skills are proportionate to his conquests!_

“Have you arranged it, then, or do I have any say in whom I marry?”  
“Aphrodite-”  
“I eagerly accept and await my duties as a warrior, and I do not dispute the necessity of marriage. But can I not even choose who shares my bed?”  
“You are being melodramatic and rude. Nothing has been decided. You will meet the boy when next your schedules allow.” Iaquaar turned to Selenity. “My apologies, your Majesty, a family squabble doesn’t suit your ears-”

Selenity smiled and held up a hand for silence.

“I am a mother with a daughter of the same age, and similar temperament, Iaquaar. It is only natural. We were also once headstrong young girls.”  
“Cousin Selenity, would you happen to know any worthwhile marriage prospects in your court? I am sure you see so many people from all over the Empire.”  
“I will take note of any that would make you a good husband, my dear. But do your mother the courtesy of meeting this boy. I too have heard kind things said about him.”  
“I shall meet him rudely and discourage him,” Aphrodite declared, and placed a bit of chocolate in her mouth. “I have no interest in ill-made womanizers.”

Selenity laughed.

“How about your own eyes? Have they seen any fair prospects?”

Aphrodite felt her cheeks redden and turned her gaze aside.

“They have seen, but my lips have yet to find any courage to speak.”  
“That is a courage even the strongest warrior does not always possess. Thank you for the presentation, Aphrodite. You must go wash up and rest, have a proper meal.”  
“Yes, cousin. Mother.”  
“Daughter.”

Aphrodite quickly cleaned and put away her weapons in the barracks before heading to her chambers for a bath. She heard nothing, saw nothing; her mind was full of a rainbow of silks and spices, veils, and smiling storm-grey eyes.

 

There was talk of war on Earth. Uncommon skirmishes led to small battles, led to wars spanning weeks, months. Sailor Venus and her team chased after the Princess into one such war. In the span of heartbeats, Venus saw the blood, smoke, fires, bodies, so many bodies… And floating to the ground amongst it all was her pristine Princess.

The Imperial Guardians tackled her and teleported away before her feet could touch the filth. The sight of war —real war, unlike anything any of them had been trained for- scared Serenity into a heaving, sobbing panic.

Endymion gave them safety and comfort. Serenity made herself small in his embrace and cried until there was nothing left to weep for, and her strength had abandoned her. Traveling with the Princess in such an upset state would cause trouble for their teleportation. While she slept, the Guardians made it clear the Prince’s pseudo-secret affairs were no longer permitted for the sake of their respective states. Endymion reluctantly, begrudgingly agreed. Kunzite, eighteen and the pride of his cadre, met Sailor Venus’ gaze across the room. Neither backed down willingly, not until discussion turned towards plans to rest for the evening.

That night, she met him on the beach to the south of the palace and agreed to his challenge.

“You are holding back!” Kunzite rolled his shoulders and circled her. “What kind of warrior are you?”  
“One who knows her adversary. Why are you doing this?”  
“Attack me, Venus!”  
“You have already lost. It’s enough.”

It wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t be enough for him, she learned, as he came at her with all of his unrefined terrestrial strength. It wasn’t enough when she knocked him off his feet into the sand once, twice, three times. It wasn’t enough when he grabbed her hair, pinned her body under his, and held her down until she stopped struggling. Sailor Venus spat a mouthful of sand and her own hair, panting for his weight on her back.

“You’ve won. Release me.”  
“I can’t win against you. I can never win.”

Kunzite’s voice was barely above a breath, and it burned the side of her neck.

“Let me up. Now. I admit my defeat, it’s over.”

Her voice trembled with the demand as her consciousness caught on to their position and their respective sexes. She summoned her Chain to her hand but lacked the range of motion to use it.

“Release me, Kunzite, or so help me, you will regret it.”  
“I’m in love with you.”

The only thing she could hear over her pounding heartbeat and the crash of the waves were those words.

“If your heart matches those words, release me now,” Sailor Venus hissed, feeling tears beginning to prick her eyes. “Kunzite, please…”

He removed himself and offered her a hand up. Sailor Venus accepted, and when she was on her feet, they both stepped apart. She sniffled and dusted sand from her person. She wouldn’t look at him. Kunzite had no care for his appearance and simply watched her.

“Did you hear me,” he finally asked.  
“You mistake your place,” she replied coldly.  
“I love you.”  
“I am betrothed.”  
“Why are you crying? Am I so repulsive? Or is it that you pity me?”

Sailor Venus clutched her Chain in both fists and sniffled back her tears with as much dignity as she could. Kunzite stepped forward.

“I love you. Let me be near you if your honor doesn’t object.”

She stamped her foot in the sand and pointed an accusing finger at him, the Chain in her grasp flaring with her temper.

“You smother me beneath you, and now you speak of honor?!”  
“I meant no harm, I swear it.”

The boy-not-yet-a-man grasped her hand and knelt at her feet.

“I’ll speak plainly what my cowardly heart wants to say. Please, just listen.” When she gave no indication of retreat, he continued. “There is so much darkness in this world, and it consumes all that is good and just. It is possessing the people of my world. It is birthing wars, severing alliances.

“But then I lay my eyes on you, and you are like the first light of morning. My entire being is refreshed by being in your presence. Me, a mere man. My people call you a goddess, and I have the pleasure of being bruised, beaten, and shouted at like an idiot hound by you.

“I adore you. I want only to be with you.”  
“Kunzite, stop, please. I cannot return your feelings, I am promised to marry someone else! Have a care!”  
“You do not love him. I know the way you look at me.”  
“I don’t look at you in any way,” Venus snapped. “What do you know of my feelings? If I do not love him now, love will bloom later. It is all the same.”  
“I have kissed your lips too many times to believe that.”  
“What does a man who climbs on girls know of love?” she exclaimed and withdrew her hand.

Kunzite was silent, his gaze determined and defiant.

“You are vain to admit it, but you have given me your heart in spoonfuls, in secret, all these years we’ve been chasing our beloved charges.”

Sailor Venus gave no acknowledgement. Kunzite raised his voice, continuing curtly.

“I know your heart is not closed to me, and I would give you all of mine. Are you so wedded to your duties-?”  
“You know _nothing_ of my duties.” She vanished her Chain and stepped back once, placing more distance between them. “I’m retiring for the night. When the sun rises, this foolishness will be no more.”

Sailor Venus left the beach, returning to her rooms. Kunzite punched the sand until his shoulders grew tired and his fists grew numb.

 

The sky was the silvery-blue of pre-dawn when a sound drew Kunzite from his sleep. There, shyly mingling amongst the terrace draperies, was Aphrodite. Her hair was unbound, rippling long curls around her, and her night-dress was a diaphanous mist of very fine summer cotton. Her feet were bare. Kunzite swung his legs over the side of the bed and cautiously stood.

She was trembling in the breeze by the time he reached her and held out a welcoming hand to invite her into the warmth of the room. She followed him in and gazed about the modest bedchamber. Kunzite drew the doors shut and locked.

“You’re shivering. What are you doing here?” he asked, placing an arm around her and guiding her to the warmth of the fire at the foot of the bed. “You must be more cautious, there are spies everywhere.”

The topmost layer of his bedding was dragged up and tucked around them. He held her against his body until her shivering subsided.

“Have you discovered the traitors yet?”  
“Amusingly enough, we have one, already.”  
“Then our ruse worked. They are so foolish to think you would be bought.”  
“A broken heart makes a man do regrettable things.”

Kunzite’s roguish smile made her grin.

“How many more do you suspect?”  
“Two. In fact, we have an idea of who they are, but until they speak, it will be difficult to arrest them.”

She jabbed a finger at his chest.

“You could have explained it better, instead of telling me to act like I loathe you.”  
“As I recall, my exact words were: behave as if you are wholly committed to your betrothal, and cannot bear to return my feelings.”  
“That is the same thing.”  
“I’m helping you at the same time.”  
“Yes, yes, I know that.”

Aphrodite stood on her toes and timidly pressed her lips to his. Her kisses were chaste, fumbling, and insistent. Kunzite grasped her shoulders and bid her to pause.

“Kisses alone, my love. You are not yet a woman.”  
“I am grown enough.”

More kisses, more of her body pressing against his, veiled only by meagre cloth.

“What is a year?” Kunzite murmured between kisses with a teasing smirk.  
“An eternity.”  
“And you claim I care nothing for your honor.”  
“I might well be married in a year, so you’ve declared.”

She giggled and gently bit his lower lip. With a whisper of cloth, her night-dress fell to the floor.

“Don’t bluff,” he warned. “We are still in hiding.”  
“You may be content with chaste kisses, but I am not. Your address on the beach has lit a fire.”  
“I would burn the world to have you all to myself and still not be content. Do not tempt me, Lady.”  
“Ah, but I tempt you anyway,” she kissed him again. “There is more to do than just making children.”  
“What does a maiden know of such things?” He grinned against her lips as he combed his fingers into her hair. “Who has polluted your sensibilities?”  
“I pollute them myself,” she giggled.

Kunzite learned very well what parts of her were soft that morning, and when the sun was fully awake in the sky, Aphrodite was gone in a shimmer of light, like a waking dream. He held the pillow she had laid her head on and breathed the scent of her on it until his chamber door was flung open and his cousin-guardsmen stormed the room, demanding his attention.

 

~*~

“It isn’t wise to come here,” Aphrodite whispered as they sat on the edge of the dock, the water far below their feet with the tide. “You know Venus has no direct agreement with Earth.”

The smell of the Magellan sea was refreshing and the breeze tousled her hair gently. The dock stretched far from the darkened private beach; on land, the nearby house was concealed by overgrown palms and foliage, and the pathway was similarly obscured. They would be safely alone for a time.

“Hang the politics, I wanted to see you.”  
“You see me plenty when your Prince comes calling.”  
“Very well; I wanted to be alone with you.”

Kunzite reached for her hand in her lap. She squeezed her fingers woven between his.

“It is nice to be alone,” she conceded. “I’m happy you came. You haven’t seen much of Venus, have you?”  
“I haven’t, no. Even at night, I can tell it is a beautiful world you live in.” He smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll have to recommend a visit to Endymion.”  
“I agree.”

She reached up to touch his face and smooth away the strands the wind liked to play with.

“How… have you been, since-?”

Kunzite’s gaze sliding away toward the water told her enough. She watched the clench of his jaw, the hard swallow of his throat. She squeezed his hand, and though she knew it couldn’t eliminate his feelings, it was enough. For the moment.

“As well as can be expected,” he sighed gruffly. “I have what family remains to me. I have my Prince, and I have you.”

Kunzite squeezed her hand in her lap and laughed half-heartedly.

“I’ve lived at the palace for years. I didn’t miss them when they were alive…”

His voice gradually quieted. He swallowed, and when he spoke again, he sounded less a commander-in-training of the royal guard, and every bit a scared boy.

“Now… Now that I’ve buried them, I miss them. More than ever.”  
“I wish I could have been with you that day. I’m so very sorry.” Kunzite clasped her hand to his cheek. “I hope you are not angry.”  
“I’m not. Let’s not talk about unhappy things.”  
“Very well.”

Aphrodite bit her lip and gazed out at the water, furrowing her brows as she berated herself. She withdrew her hand and set it over his in her lap. He didn’t need a reminder of his losses —surely, he thought of his parents every day.

“How have you been?” he asked.  
“I’ve been well. My training with the Amazons will become even more disciplined. I’m meant to become their General.”  
“Meant to? You mean to say you weren’t?”

She turned to him, a factual retort on her tongue, but his raised brows and quirked lips made her laugh instead.

“You tease me! No, I wasn’t. Selenity only just told me, and it hasn’t been publicly declared yet.”  
“And you will become Queen of Venus. How will you make time for everything?”  
“I’ve thought about foregoing sleep, but I rather enjoy it too much.”

It was Kunzite’s turn to laugh, then. She giggled and brushed her hair from her face, let the sea breeze carry it off.

“I feel as though we don’t get to talk about mundane things,” Kunzite lamented. “As mundane as lives such as ours might ever get.”  
“What did you have for dinner?” Aphrodite asked with a playful grin.  
“Some of the lads went fishing. We had fire-roasted salmon, the last of the year’s chestnuts, and potatoes.”  
“Fire-roasted? How do you do that?”  
“You spear the fish through the mouth to the end, and turn it above the fire until it cooks evenly. It’s very good.”  
“I want to try some. When Serenity takes us on our next trip, say you’ll cook that for us?”  
“You’ll have to travel soon, the fish don’t stay in one place for long.”  
“Why not? They live in water, don’t they? Keep them where the water is.” She gasped. “Unless… Do fish on Earth leave the water and walk around? Can they run from you?” He chuckled at that and she gave an unsure smile.  
“No, darling, they don’t. Not like that, at least. Salmon migrate in the spring. They leave the oceans and follow the outpouring rivers up-stream.”

Kunzite traced a meandering shape on her thigh with his fingertip. Aphrodite tapped her thumb against his in thought.

“Hmm… _Why_ do they leave the ocean?”  
“To make more fish. Along the way, other animals feed on them, which allows them to feed their babies. Humans catch them and prepare the meat for storage to last the following winter.”  
“How odd that they swim up-stream… They must be very powerful. I wish to eat one the way you prepare them!”  
“That is easily arranged. Are you cold?”

She shook her head and then glanced down at her bare arms, finding goosebumps dotting her skin.

“I just had a chill by a thought. Do you think people might be similar to those salmon fish of yours?”  
“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”  
“Swimming up a stream, going against principal.” She sighed and ruffled her hair. “Never mind. I am thinking of petty revenge.”  
“Against whom?” Kunzite smiled. “I have borne personal witness to your petty revenge, therefore I pity your intended.”

They both laughed at that.

“I am thinking over recent meetings. My mother is keen on me marrying. My revenge against her is thought only.”  
“You seem neither upset, nor moved by the idea.”  
“Oh, I wouldn’t mind marriage. I think it would be lovely. But not with _him_.”  
“I believe most men are a poor match for your abundant skills, least of all your beauty.”  
“Not all?”  
“I would make a very fine husband.” That made her smirk.  
“Would you? By whose grade?”  
“Mine, of course.”

Aphrodite laughed.

“You seem neither moved, nor upset yourself at my declaration.”  
“I have had many ladies of stature enquire after a contract. Being wedded to the Prince’s right hand is a very desirable position.”  
“Ladies of stature? Is that a fancy way of saying they’re rich?”  
“You might say that.”  
“Blessings to the madam that claims you, then,” she sighed, wrinkling her nose at the thought. “I’ll be sure to let her know how her husband is faring.”

Kunzite grinned, and when Aphrodite looked at him, his grin got wider.

“You are jealous.”  
“I beg your pardon?”  
“Not for pardon. You’re jealous, Lady Venus.”  
“I am not!”  
“The most beautiful woman in the Empire is jealous of the attention paid to me, a mere guard.” Kunzite threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, gods! How blessed I am!”  
“Shh! We’re not so far from shore that nobody will notice us.”

Aphrodite gave his forearm a little slap.

“And I am not jealous. My statement was one of fact; you are with Endymion, myself, and Serenity more than anyone else. I would pity your wife for being married to you. How lonely and childless that would be.”  
“I’d be sure to fill her with children, as is my duty.”  
“Oh, yes, I am sure of that,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.

Kunzite brought her hand to his lips.

“Would you pity my wife if I asked her at this moment to marry me?”  
“You would ask _me_ to become your wife?”  
“I would. I do.”  
“You are teasing me again.”  
“No, I am being quite sincere.”

He kissed her knuckles and reached into his shirt, drawing forth a necklace. It was a simple cord of suede hung with a grey metal circlet. With a sharp tug, the cord snapped, and the ring was in his hand.

“I know our peoples are different, and yet, I feel that you and I are not so. In spite of everything, when I lay eyes on you, it’s as if I can breathe the air again. You bring me mirth and joy, and I want to make you laugh every day, until the end of our days. Will you let me be your husband?”

Aphrodite’s amusement sobered in the face of his confession. The ring he offered was crude and coarse; some kind of roughly-hammered metal that had little sheen to it. The inner band seemed smooth, in spite of the exterior. It was plain, without engraving, elevations, or stones. She realized Kunzite’s dark-tanned fingers were trembling ever so faintly. She enveloped his hand in both of hers, fearing he might drop the ring into the sea below.

“I must evade this betrothal first. And we each have our duties-”  
“They will never change.”  
“When she… When Serenity takes the throne, she will not have the leisure to flit about as she does. How —when will I see you, then?”  
“I don’t care about the future, only now. I want to be with you. We can devise the rest as we go along.”

Her face became warm and ashamed.

“I am already sixteen and I am not yet… I haven’t —that is… I cannot give you children yet.” “In due time, my love. There is no rushing these things. A year, maybe two.”  
“I may well outlive you!”

The moment she said it, her heart leapt into her throat. She looked away, feeling heat flood her eyes. Her excuses were just and fair, but to his ears, they were simple inconveniences. They both knew the magics of the Empire gave its people long and pleasant lives, but Earth had long been an outsider, a pet kept in the yard instead of welcomed into the home. Endymion’s campaign to bring Earth into the fold was brazen and idealistic, but she was sure it would not come to pass within his lifetime —would become a legacy endeavor his sons or even grandsons might see through. Terrestrial lifespan was a fraction of the Empire’s citizens’ own. It was why so many terrestrials feared them.

Aphrodite realized, with great anxiety, that her truest fear was watching Kunzite grow old and weak and die —assuming his duties to the Prince didn’t end his short life sooner.

Kunzite’s hand closed on hers and parted them from his. She sobbed as he slipped the band around her finger. Her tears trickled down her cheeks as he kissed the ring and her hand. She turned her palm to his face and felt his lips on the heel, on her wrist. She shut her eyes and bit her lip harshly as he reached out to wipe the wet from her face.

“You are mourning things that have yet to pass, my dear. Do not linger on what might be; live and breathe what is.”  
“I could not bear to watch you grow feeble and old so soon,” she protested. “If your duties to the Prince even allow you to live to your highest age.”

He sighed and allowed her to grieve for their future. His people called her a goddess. They both adored and feared those of the Silver Millennium for their longevity, more than anything else. Terrestrials were afraid of pain, sickness, and death. He was no different; he had considered long and well what it might mean to take her for a wife, what cruelty he would inflict on her when he reached the end of his days. Their children would be hers by Empirical law, and would enjoy all of the Silver Millennium’s benefits. But he would not. He would spend the rest of his days with her, and it would have to be enough; for her, it would be a moment in her long life, a scar across her heart she would carry for lifetimes.

“The Prince may yet join Earth to the Empire before our sunset,” he told her, hoping his words would provide a balm to her pain.  
“And if he does not?”  
“I will love and adore you a hundred years’ worth in a single day, every day, until the end of my days, and I pray it will be enough.”  
“Then you had better give me a daughter so that if you go before me, I will have no guilt about following.”  
“Shall I interpret that as approval of my proposal?”

She laughed through her tears and felt like she was drowning.

“Yes, you silly man.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheeks, forehead, and finally her lips. Her tears tasted like the sea, but her lips were softer and sweeter than any had been or would be. Kunzite touched his forehead to hers, and they shared the same breath. Her free palm met his, her callouses borne of swordsmanship mirroring his. Her eyelashes were finer than any golden thread he’d ever seen in the palace, and her cheeks had the faintest little sun-borne freckles. He longed to kiss her again, and was afraid if given the chance, he might never stop.

Her fingers left his face to wipe her own. She remained close to him until her breathing quieted, and her tears ceased. Then, she turned away and summoned a handkerchief to blow her nose. Kunzite kissed her exposed shoulder, laughed when she tried to pull away in embarrassment.

“Is the design of this ring common to your people?” she asked when they quieted down. She examined the circlet in the Moon’s light.  
“Of my mother’s tribe, it is traditional for the men to craft an engagement gift for their bride.”  
“Then it was you who made this? With your own hands?”  
“I… yes. It is nowhere near as beautiful as your other jewels. You are welcome to polish and refashion it however you prefer. I am no smith or jeweler.”  
“True, it is rather crude and plain to look at… but the inner band is quite comfortable. You must have spent a great deal of effort on it.”

Kunzite smiled hesitantly. Aphrodite chuckled.

“You look very sweet when you blush.”  
“You praise my poor workmanship too much, Lady. My feelings will survive; the ring is just a token —please, do as you wish. I mean it.”  
“The ring is just fine. I like it.”

The breeze quieted for a moment as she leaned close to kiss him, allowing him the pleasure of drowning in her perfume.

~*~

 

Kunzite and his comrades had swarmed a tavern and were celebrating the end of their days as trainees. Many of them would be remaining at the palace as guards, while others were joining the new standing army’s ranks. The beer and mead were free-flowing, and as the evening wore on, their sobriety and all that went with it wore down.

The revelry abruptly dampened as the tavern door was flung open, and in strode a wealthy Venusian nobleman. He wore light-colored brocade with elaborate smocking in the bodice and cuffs. He was tall, pale, and clean-shaven, with fairest blonde hair and seafoam eyes. He cast his gaze about the room and loudly declared his search for Kunzite, calling his quarry by name.

“Yes, fair lord,” Kunzite grinned and stepped forward, his gait sloshing. “What’s a Venusian noble such as yourself doing all alone in a place like this, eh?”

The man was equally as tall as Kunzite, though less muscled. The air about him exuded perfume.

“I am Adonis, first son of the Duchess of Danu of Venus, and intended of the Lady of Venus.” He drew a stiletto from his belt and pointed it at Kunzite. “And you, _sir_ , have caused me to lose face. I command you to fight me for my honor.”

Kunzite looked at the blade and reached up to tilt it aside, giggling.

“Well, that is incredible, gentleman, for I have never met you before in my life.”  
“You have tainted my betrothed. Put up your pathetic Earth-made weapon and accept your penance.”

The tavern grew still and silent. All eyes regarded the meeting and, after a heartbeat, an undercurrent of whispers began to circulate. Kunzite laughed heartily.

“If she were one of your people, I could certainly never forget a beauty such as that. You have the wrong man. I have never sampled such a delicacy.”  
“Eyes as blue as your noonday sky. Hair to rival the sun. Fairest lilac skin.”  
“You have just described a great deal of your populace. Put away your knife and come have a drink instead. Have you ever sampled this tavern’s mead? Hah! It’ll put hair on that sleek chest of yours!”  
“She is an Amazon and a Imperial Guardian of the Empire.”

The whispers increased in their number. Kunzite’s expression turned from merry to befuddlement.

“Selenity’s tits, man. Are you sure you aren’t already the drunker of us?” Kunzite gestured widely and addressed the room, sauntering back to his table. “Boys! Our gentleman guest thinks I could stand against an _Amazon_!”

A shout and several whistles punctuated that.

“On your knees, maybe.”  
“Kunzite, you’ll lose to your drink at this rate.”  
“Oh, to touch an Amazon…”  
“Or an Imperial Guardian. Any of them would do well under me, eh? Hahahah!”  
“You mean you’d do well under her?”

The tavern erupted in loud laughter and lewd exclamations, each more colorful than the last. Adonis glanced around and squared his jaw, knife held aloft. He growled a long and descriptive curse in a dialect Kunzite knew his blue-blooded mother would disapprove of, and concluded with:

“Fight me, _you commoner_ , or I will simply kill you where you stand!”

Kunzite took up his cup and downed what remained in it before tossing it aside. The youngest of their family, Jadeite, was distracted laughing, and lost his drink to Kunzite as well. The cup was slammed to the table and Kunzite hung his head for a moment, taking a deep breath. He stood.

“Well. I do believe I’m properly drunk now.”

Nephlite crept up beside him and offered him his own cup, though it contained little and was merely a distraction.

“Cousin!” Kunzite greeted him, and then crooked a finger and leaned close. In a stage-whisper, he asked: “Do you think I should tell him his darling intended was the one who taught us to fight?”  
“Do you think he would believe you?”  
“This is empty…”  
“Be quick about it, and try not to kill him, cousin.”  
“Aye! Let us dance a little, shall we?”

Kunzite turned around with that proclamation, and his opposition wasted no time. Adonis tucked his free arm behind his back —as was the formal teachings of Venusian swordsmanship- and lunged. Kunzite easily sidestepped him and continued to twirl down the length of his arm. He fell into step with Adonis’ movements, purposely staying just behind and out of the way; it truly did resemble a peculiar, courtly dance. The blonde whirled about the opposite way, and Kunzite ducked. A swift punch to the side of the elbow dislocated Adonis’ forearm. The pain sent the man lurching, right over Kunzite’s back and head-over-heels to the floor, stunned by the impact of his own weight.

Kunzite kicked his hand until the knife came free and he toed it away. He placed his hands on his hips and grinned down at the perfumed ponce.

“You have two options, sir. Stay, and drink with us and be merry; or leave.”

The reply was a blue-streak of swearing Aphrodite was elaborately versed in, and only recited in response to his most trying errors. Kunzite assumed this meant Adonis was thoroughly fed up of dealing with him. He offered the man a hand up. Adonis yanked, dragging him off his feet. He rolled them over and took the dominant position to throw punches with his one good arm. Kunzite laughed up at the ceiling. An arm shot up and grabbed Adonis by the hair.

The tavern went silent following the crack of their skulls. Adonis looked dazed and unsteady, and Kunzite shoved him off. His gleaming, brocade-swathed body collapsed to the floor and was still. Kunzite, too, was quite unsteady.

“Zoiscite, on your declaration, man!”  
“Aye, who wins? I want my money.”

Zoiscite came forward to assess the damages and checked that Adonis was still breathing. He grabbed Kunzite’s arm and held it aloft. The room exploded with cheers and laughter. Money began passing hands. Kunzite grabbed Zoiscite’s shoulder and was abruptly sick. Adonis was unfortunately in the way.

 

Iaquaar flung the doors open and intruded on her daughter’s chambers. Aphrodite startled awake and clutched the bedding up around her naked chest, easing herself into an upright pose against her pillows. A fold of paper was flung into her lap.

“I wish you _had_ met him rudely and discouraged him,” the Queen exclaimed. “The Duchess is mortified. What have you done?”

Aphrodite adjusted her bedding some more and then reached for the paper. A brisk review of it told her Adonis was calling off the engagement and declaring his honor trampled by her infidelity. The second page was by the Duchess’ hand: she wrote a more detailed apology regarding her son’s foolhardy behavior for besmirching Aphrodite’s chaste name. No mention was made regarding the cause of Adonis’ injuries, though much complaint was made of them.

“Where in the world did he get this idea?” Aphrodite wondered and glanced up at her mother with a baffled expression. “This is blatantly false! How dare he publish these lies about my chastity —I’m not of age yet!”  
“You have done _something_ to put forth that notion,” Iaquaar grumbled.

Aphrodite’s lip trembled, and her eyes began to flood.

“That’s cruel of you, mother.”  
“You’ve been swanning about the house for weeks, sighing and giggling at nothing.”  
“I’ve been reading romance novels,” Aphrodite sniffled. “Seeing as I’m forbidden a romance of my choosing, the stories are all I have to entertain my heart.”  
“Don’t do that.”  
“What?” Aphrodite sniffled.  
“Don’t…”

Iaquaar sighed. She sat on the edge of the bed.

“Why are you upset with me?” Aphrodite asked. “Don’t you find it reprehensible for this man to be so concerned with my affairs when I am not yet his wife? He has no claim on me.”  
“You are right, it is uncouth.” She reached out to stroke her daughter’s hair, the same vivid gold as her own. “But it does not present well for a suitor to turn from you like this. The Duchess at least understands her position and will offer apologies until her son is forgiven, but I doubt she is pleased.”  
“He can marry some other girl. Maybe one of his earlier wenches.”  
“ _Aphrozjia_!” Iaquaar laughed in spite of herself.  
“I _told_ you I would not marry a womanizer, mother. If my chastity is questioned based on heresay, then what of his based on known evidence?”

Aphrodite rearranged and folded the letters, then handed them back to her mother.

“You might remind his mother, the Duchess, of her son’s bloodline and expectations. He’s spent too much time among the terrestrials. He should count himself blessed I don’t throw my boomerang at him.”  
“You will do no such thing.”  
“I won’t,” Aphrodite promised. Sincerely, she added: “I am sorry for your embarrassment, mother. Please do not be angry.”  
“I am frustrated on your behalf,” Iaquaar sighed. “I love you, darling. Won’t you dress and come eat with us while you’re still here?”  
“I was hoping to sleep a little more.” Aphrodite sheepishly grinned.  
“Not too late, I hope. Your dancing master will arrive in a few hours.”

Aphrodite fell back against her pillow and groaned.

“Oh, no! I am hopeless.”  
“Only without practice. Shall I send a maid in an hour to wake you?”  
“In two?”  
“Fine. But you _will_ have dinner with the family. We barely see you.”  
“Yes, mother, of course. See you at dinner.”

Aphrodite waited for the doors to close and sighed deeply, gazing up at the canopy. After counting a span, she moved to the edge of the bed and bent over, letting her hair pool on the floor below.

“It worked!”

She squinted into the dimness and realized the space under her bed was empty of persons.

“Your mother is a passionate woman.”

She startled and felt her balance overcompensate as she rose too quickly. Sun-darkened arms grabbed her and pulled her safely towards the center of the bed. Her naked back met bare chest, and lips kissed behind her ear.

“My gratitude to her on her daughter.”  
“We have less than two hours.”  
“That is enough time.”

Kunzite turned her onto her back and rose on his forearms above her.

“Swanning?”

Aphrodite grinned.

“They were very good stories.”

 

Following an assassination attempt on the High Princess while on Earth, relations between the Empire and the primitive little planet broke down. To the nobility and most royalty, it was irrelevant that the Prince’s parents had lost their lives in the attack; they viewed it as an egregious failure of Earth’s monarchy to maintain control of their populace. The High Queen’s parliament roared for retaliation, but Selenity vetoed every call for war. A stalemate arose as she requested that supportive measures be continued on Earth. No one would lend a hand. They loved their princess and feared the terrestrial barbarians more than they respected her authority. Economic and diplomatic ties were severed, and the Empire all but turned its back on Earth.

Sailor Venus stepped forward to publicly reinforce support to her cousin. She reminded the court of her Amazons’ pledge to the security of the capital, and doubled down on the Imperial Guardians’ training. Her uniform —once sleek and flowing- adopted gleaming armor. Venus was rarely seen without her sword or Chain. The Imperial Guardians spent much of their time in uniform, and one was always posted by the Princess’ door, another by the Queen’s side.

During the attack, Endymion had risked his life to save the Princess. His travels to, and reception on the Moon were heavily guarded, and kept secret from all but those immediately close to him. Certainly, the public and both courts had no knowledge of his comings and goings. On the heels of Endymion’s coronation, Kunzite had been declared the King’s Chief Advisor and Commander General. Kunzite was now a permanent accessory to the King’s side, weapons and armor decking both men at all times.

Selenity was determined to maintain what previous ties had existed on Earth. By working with the young King to systematically eliminate any inclination to rebel, she intended to bring them into the Empire’s fold, regardless of her parliament’s irritation. A hand-picked council oversaw the planning and execution of this ideal. Venus was the sole Guardian at the secret meetings, always by the Queen’s right side.

Aphrodite drafted countless letters to Kunzite —all crumpled and scattered about her study- pleading with him to burn Serenity’s missives, to leash his King and make him see sense.

_The situation we are in is dire, unlike anything the living Queens have witnessed. Many in the Empire wish for war, to punish Earth for their treason against her Highness. It is by Selenity’s will alone that Earth is not exiled from the Silver Millennium entirely. You must ~~force~~ ~~coerce~~ inspire sense in your King to forget his heart and Serenity’s love, and think of his people. I beg you!_

Other iterations suggested sleeping potions, cold iron, deadbolts, and guards within reach every hour of the day and night. In another, still drying on her desk, read:

_Beloved, we are on the brink of war between our people. ~~I cannot be your wife.~~_

“This is madness,” Aphrodite muttered as she paced the room, exhausted in the early morning hours. The fireplace had dwindled to coals; it crackled and sparked to life as she collected her failed missives from around the room, and fed them into it one by one. The flames reflected off the roughly-finished pewter band around her finger, so out of place amongst her silky golden attire and glass-smooth Venusian jewelry. As she watched the last of the letters turn to ash, she reached for the most recent one.

Aphrodite crouched by the fireplace and gnawed her lip as she studied her words, surprised when a drop of wet splashed the paper. Her cheeks were slick. She wiped away her tears and drew breath, fortifying her resolve. Perhaps her distance would protect those she loved most. Weaknesses couldn’t be used against her if they remained unknown. She would stay away from Venus, protect her family, the High Queen, and the Princess as was her duty. She would seal her heart away until peace returned. She was young and would live a long and youthful life before age and death could hope to claim her. She could afford to wait.

She transformed and took up her sword, intent on accomplishing her drills in the training yard until physical exhaustion forced her to sleep. The letter was still in her hand. She balled it up and threw it in the fire, then left the room. The night guards she passed nodded, but said nothing of the tears streaming down her face.

 

In a darkened enclave on the far end of the Moon palace’s compound, the four of them gathered. Sailor Venus turned her back to gaze around the alcove, hand on the hilt of her sword and Chain about her hips. She couldn’t bear to watch the bliss on her cousin’s face as she and Endymion whispered their dedications to each other, hands clasping one another’s. Kunzite’s arm slipped across her front and grasped her at the waist. She shrugged him off as a hindrance, worried her sword would cut him if she needed to draw it. She did not see the glance he gave her.

“Blessed be your marriage,” Kunzite proclaimed as the King and High Princess kissed.

His hand reached for Sailor Venus’ and as their fingers clutched at each other, she felt a twinge in her breast and forced a smile for the sake of her beloved cousin.

 

“Don’t,” Sailor Venus hissed, violently shaking Kunzite’s hands from her shoulders.  
“Don’t what?” he whispered. “Have you grown cold in your womanhood?”  
“You are distracting me from my duties and neglecting your own.”  
“Then I am a distraction.”

A glance into his stormy eyes made her bite her teeth into the smile that threatened to cross her face.

“Our worlds are united by marriage now,” he continued. “Isn’t that something to be happy for?”  
“Not while things are what they are. Must I remind you, your people attempted to murder the High Princess.”  
“She is my Queen now. I am her humble slave, and yours. Willfully yours.”

A cry behind the Princess’ door sent Sailor Venus into the motions of attack until Kunzite intervened with a grin. She felt her gaze widen and her cheeks swiftly grew hot. That had not been a cry of fear or pain.

“You’re awfully tense.” Kunzite’s brow arched, and his grin became just a little wider as her face flushed.  
“Better than not.”  
“When they are done, why don’t we take a walk?” He brushed her hair back over a shoulder and stroked her cheek. “You look tired, my love. Have you been well?”  
“You and the King must go home,” was all she answered.  
“Yes, in the morning. Would you wish to separate them on their wedding night?”  
“If the guards discover you’re here-”  
“As General of the Amazons and leader of the Imperial Guardians, I am sure you can make arrangements.”

Kunzite bent to kiss her, and for a heartbeat, he was everything. She pulled away.

“You are infuriating.”  
“As you are beautiful.”

She passed him and took his former post, leaving him at hers. Sailor Venus swallowed and set her jaw, stared out into the dimness of the hallway as she tried to ignore the rising quantity of cries beyond the door. She traced her thumb over the hilt of her sword, counting the loops of fabric wrapping it, again and again. After a long moment, Kunzite snickered.

“Remind me once more how you and her Highness are related?”  
“She is my cousin.”  
“Of the first?”  
“My father is the High Queen’s mother’s youngest brother. Serenity is my second cousin.”  
“Ah. Then the relation is direct, and by blood.”  
“It is.”  
“I wonder if you and my Queen share other likenesses.”  
“Such as?”

They were silent, staring at each other across the breadth of the doorway. Sailor Venus abruptly closed the distance between them and dealt him a smack across the face. Kunzite sighed and touched his cheek, testing the motion of his jaw.

“First-rate, my Lady.”  
“And well-deserved!” she hissed in reply. “She is your Queen, so watch your tongue.”  
“What do you suggest?”  
“A servant’s respect.”  
“Is that an invitation?”

Sailor Venus gave him a warning little shove to the chest and frowned.

“You are an idiot.”  
“You are blushing.”  
“We are on the brink of war and you make jokes. I’ll never understand what Endymion sees in you.”  
“A healthy sense of humor, among other things.”

Kunzite clasped her hand to his chest and touched his forehead to hers. Her breath was quick with irritation, and her chest heaved. The low collar of her uniform granted him a glimpse of her development and the way her throat moved. He met her eyes and wondered if all the skies and seas on Earth envied their blue.

“I apologize. It wounds me that you smile less every time we meet.”  
“How can you be so carefree?” She shut her eyes and slowed her breathing. “Your planet is at war, your people are killing each other.”  
“Because I look at you and forget everything.”

She opened her eyes and gazed into his. Between heartbeats, she felt and understood his words entirely. Her voice became gentle and pleading when she next spoke.

“You must take your duties more responsibly. Please. For the sake of your King. Until peace returns, Serenity cannot be with him, and if anything were to happen to Endymion, I couldn’t bear her agony.”  
“For your sake, I will. Anything to protect you from that grief. And when the war is over, I will marry you.”  
“You mustn’t be here any longer than necessary. They need you.”  
“I need you.”

She looked away.

“I know you are keeping yourself from me. I know Serenity would never command it of you. When the war is done, you will be out of excuses.”

She furrowed her brows and gnawed her lip.

“Do you think it will end?”  
“All wars end, one way or another.”  
“I do not like the progression of this one. I do not like the scale it has reached.”  
“Would you… help us?”

Her reply was hesitant and gently spoken.

“I am sworn to the Silver Millennium.”  
“We are part of the Empire now, if not signed and documented.”  
“I am needed here.”  
“You could turn the tide. I could ask the Queen to command it.”  
“The climate will not favor your appeal; the Empire would see it as treason for deserting the High Queen’s side. Many of your people would die of their rage.”

Kunzite took her hands in his and pulled her closer.

“To hell with the High Queen, I am asking —no, I beg of you!”  
“You may as well be fugitives here!”

Sailor Venus pulled away and her expression was equally angry and wounded.

“How can you talk of forcing my hand this way? You would have me choose between my Queen and your King with my cousin as your pawn?”  
“You wield the power of the gods —nay, you may well be gods yourselves!” Kunzite pleaded. “Will you have no compassion for my people?”  
“We are not gods! We are people; we laugh, we bleed, we love. Our power is not your asset to oppress your own people.”  
“Don’t twist my words! I want an end to this war. People _die_ in wars _all the time_. That is the very nature of war, and something you have _no_ experience of here in your beautiful, clean Empire. You are happy to visit when it suits you, but not to dirty your fine white gloves!”

He regretted his words the moment she heard them. He grit his teeth and sighed, resuming his post. They were uncomfortably silent for a time until he drew a breath and softly asked:

“Venus, please, I have nothing and no one left to rely on. If it didn’t interfere with your duties, if it was a willful choice of your own, would you help us?”  
“You know well that it would. Even in secret, word would spread faster than fire. I cannot abandon them.”

Sailor Venus paused to press her ear to the door, alarmed at the sudden silence. She could hear the newly-married couple giggling and was content. She turned away and raked her fingers through her hair, bowed her face into her hands. For all of the bliss so near to her, she wanted nothing more than to scream, cry until she grew sick, rage until she had only the strength to keep breathing.

“Kunzite, I’m sorry, I _can’t_ help you. Even when I sleep, I dream of that knife to Serenity’s throat, and the blood on her dress. My power is not mine to use, you _must_ understand that.”

 

Days after the wedding mirth had subsided and the King was back on Earth, buried in his work, Kunzite awoke from a dream. In it, the Imperial Guardians were attacking the rebellious forces. Whole fields were soaked in blood and littered in bodies. The gleaming magic of their attacks was lurid against the smoke and grime. Sailor Venus was resplendent in her golden armor, shouting commands to her warriors. Her hair billowed in the wake of her assault like the sun itself.

There, on his dressing table, was the ring he had crafted for her.

 

The witch was surprisingly easy to find and, though guarded, Kunzite was allowed to leave his weapons and enter for her audience. The great room was all dull, cold stone and wooden beams. It seemed sacrilegious to house a witch in an abandoned monastery, but here she was, seated by the fireplace on a great chair —a throne, he thought, and she was ruler of this small, forlorn kingdom. The stone beneath her chair and bare feet was layered over in worn carpets, their colors faded, their fringes taken by mice and moths.

The woman seemed all at once a girl and a weather-beaten crone. Her hair was a dense, fiery cloak that coiled about her shoulders and padded her back against the chair. Her jewelry was made of blackened wood with stones crudely fastened by leather cord. She wore a dirty shift and a purple silk banner wrapped about her body, tied on one shoulder. She was a sickly shade of pale. When she spoke, her voice was commanding and strangely girlish.

“Why are you here?”  
“I want to save my people,” Kunzite answered plainly.  
“A frail woman will not be much aid to you.”  
“But a known and powerful witch can grant me the wisdom and strength I need.”  
“You think you can end this war?”

She smiled and Kunzite recoiled from the sight; her teeth had all been filed to points. Her vivid green eyes were as void of mirth as those of a beast, and he wondered if that’s what she truly was. He questioned what great magics she possessed that would lend her the reputation she had. She seemed familiar, though his memory refused to dredge up any relevant visages. The witch-girl laughed at his unease.

“The fear that lives in men’s hearts is the whip that drives this war. What power could you possess that would end it? You are as arrogant and foolish as the man who began it.”  
“What man was this?”  
“He is dead to me now.”  
“But how did the war begin? Maybe with that knowledge-”  
“It does not matter anymore. The war exists because men want it to exist, and as they become more afraid, more enraged, so stronger does the fighting become. It is like a wild fire.”  
“And I mean to douse it!” Kunzite argued. “Good, innocent people are starving and dying because of it. The King would end this once and finally. If you really are a witch, you will serve your King and lend him aid.”

He expected her to cower or laugh again. She merely grew silent and pensive, her gaze heavy on him. Kunzite had the feeling he was staring at a predator, a wolf in girl’s skin and clothing, masquerading as human. He had seen a great many things that were not natural to his world, or human; a mere girl would not frighten him. He would not admit that she frightened him.

“And who are you to the King?”  
“His right hand.”  
“What will you give me in return?”

Kunzite snarled and fisted his hands. Even without weapons, he could inflict damage on her if he chose to. Perhaps a few bruises would remind her of her status. She rolled her eyes.

“You cannot hope to harm me, General. Not in my own domain.”

Kunzite lunged forward, intent on grabbing her. His body moved a single step, and then not at all. He felt sweat form as he struggled to assert motion. From her throne, she watched him with all the disinterest of a cat contemplating a mouse.

“You have true power?”

His voice sounded amazed and afraid, and when he heard it, he realized he was. He knew at least some of the magics of the Empire; this was beyond his knowledge. There was no warm light, no sensation of cleanliness and purity. His skin felt as though needles were pricking him all over, into flesh, scalp, and through his eyelids. He clenched his hand and felt the metal of the circlet.

“What will you give me in return?” The witch-girl asked again.  
“All I can offer is myself before you.”  
“What good is just one man? I have many.”  
“A master swordsman,” he replied, wishing he could retract his words, wishing he could flee. The words kept flowing, and his body remained immobile. “An Empire-trained warrior. A strategist to the King. Head of his personal guard. I have the King’s ear and his trust.”  
“You would sell me your King for the sake of your people?” She laughed. “You _are_ in dire need. Very well, I have decided you are worthy. Come here and kiss me to make your pledge.”

Kunzite felt his body regain movement, sagging like dough worked too long. He thought about leaving as his feet moved. He wondered what power she could possibly supply him. What was a kiss if she had a secret army at her beck and call?

Her lips were like the deepest winter cold that burned. Her teeth were vicious, and made blood well in his mouth, and pour down his chin and throat. Her hands grabbed hold of his face and her nails pressed painfully into his flesh. His heart felt like it was being squeezed, tighter and tighter, until finally it could bear no more.

Kunzite staggered away, shaking, bleeding, blinded, and collapsed to the floor. Every muscle seized in quick succession, and he cursed himself for allowing her to poison him. He was sure he would die. He opened his mouth to scream, pray one of his men outside might hear, but only animal sounds were left to him. He retched and vomited until his body felt wrung tightly dry.

Before his vision abandoned him, he saw drops of blood on the floor.

His last conscious thought was of his beloved Aphrodite smiling down at him and gently caressing his hair out of his face. Her nails felt uncommonly sharp as they shut his eyes.

 

He awoke to cold. He was lying on stone. The fireplace was dark.

When his vision returned, when his body could finally move of his own decree again, he found blood pouring from his hand. With some effort, he unclenched his fist and found the pewter ring shattered by his grasp, the shards embedded in his palm. He felt no pain. Even as he watched, the blood was slowing, the wounds closing. With a fingernail, he pried the metal from his flesh and watched in fascinated horror as the wounds did heal, leaving no mark.

The sun was low on the horizon when he stumbled out of the monastery. The air was very still, the ambiance of birdsong and insects oddly absent. His horse was tied to a fence and his weapons lay beside it in the grass. He pocketed the shards of pewter and lethargically gathered up his weapons. There were no guards, no sign of anyone but him having been there. His men were gone. He spent the better part of an hour scouring the grounds for hoof-prints, human foot-prints, and found none.

He drove his mount through the dimming shadows and long-forgotten pathway that was being reclaimed by nature. The grass and earth showed no disturbance until the main roadway came into view. Kunzite felt cold, though his heart throbbed in his throat. He knew he should have felt fear, if not anger. All he felt was cold. He knew he had come with a rally of men, his smartest and strongest, aiming to intimidate the girl in the abandoned monastery. He knew what he had demanded of her. He did not know all what she had taken from him, and the more he tried to understand, the less, he found, he cared.

Had she taken his men? Slaughtered the horses for meat? It was all the same to him; if she hadn’t, he decided then that he would have offered them. Happily. Perhaps the rest of the palace guard would find renewed resolution with the witch at their side.

The wind picked up as he turned onto the main road, kicked at his horse, and shouted for more speed. The Moon rose overhead, half-full and gleaming like the finest of pearls. He knew it, then, just as he knew the feel of the saddle under his thighs and the leather in his grasp. He knew it instinctively like he knew how to breathe.

_“You would sell me your King for the sake of your people?_ _”_

He bared his teeth.

“At your command, my Queen.”

 

“Halt!”

Endymion’s pace came to a pause and Sailor Venus gestured to an alcove. When they were tucked away behind the tapestry, she sheathed her sword.

“The rebellion on Earth is out of hand,” he hurriedly explained. “I came here to warn you.”  
“Of what?”  
“There is a great cult that has taken over my world, and their mistress is heading an attack on the Moon. All of you are in grave danger.”  
“Where are your guardsmen? You do not travel alone.”  
“I can’t trust them anymore.”  
“You cannot trust your own handpicked guard?”  
“Their minds have become poisoned. They will not listen to reason or command.”

She set her jaw and shut her eyes. Where was Kunzite if not with his King? What was this cult, this poison corrupting the people of Earth? Had it claimed him, too? Was Endymion affected, a decoy, a spy? She opened her eyes and bound his hands behind his back.

“Why should I trust you? Kunzite is always with you.”  
“I am telling you, Venus, they have all become corrupted! They are coming here to kill the royal family. I will not let my wife die.”

Sailor Venus glared at him and reached up to tap an earring.

“Mars, take the royals to the Queen’s chambers. They are indisposed, should anyone raise a fuss.”  
_“Affirmative. What of the party?”_  
“Let it continue. Don’t let them panic.”  
_“Do you need assistance?”_  
“I’m escorting a visitor. I will see you there.”

The servant’s hallways were an efficient means to move swiftly and evade being seen. She and Endymion exited into the Queen’s sitting room and were met a moment later by the Queen, Princess, and Sailor Mars. Sailor Venus deftly began to undo the buckles that held Endymion’s sword to his person.

“King Endymion? What are you doing here?” Sailor Mars sounded more curious than alarmed.  
“Sailor Venus? What are you doing to my husband?”  
“I beg your pardon!?”

All eyes turned to Serenity. Sailor Mars placed herself in the way to hold the Princess’ advancement and gave the Queen a worried glance. Sailor Venus set Endymion’s sword on the floor.

“The people of Earth have planned an invasion. They mean to kill the Queen and her daughter, and anyone who stands in their way,” Endymion hastily explained. “Your Majesty, wife, you must find safety at once.”

Selenity took a seat and was very quiet as she looked each of them over in succession. Her gaze was hard and uncomfortable, her expression unreadable. Her glittering gown and jewelry seemed far too festive for such a dire proclamation.

“I have known about the rumors of invasion, but not this other news. When were you married, daughter? Before whom?”  
“Aphrodite and Kunzite were our witnesses. It is done, mother. We are one now, and Earth has joined the Empire through me.”  
“How long has this been kept from me? Are you with child yet?”  
“No, mother.” Serenity looked afraid, but not sorry. “It is legal and just, I promise you. I know you repealed the law.”  
“That is not the point, Serenity! When have I ever discouraged you from your time on Earth, or your affections for Endymion? I repealed the law for your sake. I would have seen you properly married, here, with our people if you had just waited and told me. Earth would have been formally recognized and annexed.”  
“Then why are you angry?”  
“Because Earth is now a traitor to the Empire! Their people killed their own monarchs and then tried to kill _you_! They’ve been at war for years, _how can you not see that?”_

Selenity clenched her hands in her lap, and with her final phrase, beat a fist against her knees. Her breast heaved with her temper and her lips grew thin as she pressed them together. Her daughter stood her ground and squared her shoulders.

“We believed our marriage would calm the wars and bring about peace. Endymion is King now, and I am his Queen. They will not attack their King for loyalty and love.”  
“You are a fool to think you are safe by his marriage. Love him, bed him, have a child by him, by all means. But you have yet to learn your lessons. I have fought parliament at every turn to keep them from going to war against Earth. They no longer have confidence in the terrestrials. You are the first of our dynasty to be allowed to marry, and you have taken what they see as a bloodthirsty traitor to your bed! What precedent is this? How could you not _tell_ me?!”

Selenity turned her gaze to Sailor Venus. The girl lowered her gaze and bowed her head. No words were spoken to her. She feared she would bleed to death by their myriad cuts.

“King Endymion, when do you expect the attack might take place? Do we have time to evacuate the palace, the city? I don’t want my people harmed.”  
“They are already on their way, your Majesty. I fled as soon as I heard, hoping I could warn you in time.”  
“I will alert the guards, begin the evacuation,” Sailor Mars declared, reaching up to tap her earring.

Sailor Venus’ communication line beeped and she responded. Artemis’ voice rang out from the other end of the line.

_“Hostile activity closing in fast from the east and south-eastern horizons!”_  
“They mean to corner us against the sea. Dammit. Declare a state of emergency. Evacuate the palace, then the city.”

Sailor Mars dealt her orders and contacted the other Imperial Guardians on a broader line, ordering them to the palace’s defense. The emergency broadcast rang out through the palace a moment later. Luna’s recorded voice was calm and pronounced. She repeated the evacuation instructions three times and then the alarms went off. Serenity side-stepped Sailor Mars and dashed towards Endymion, greeting him with a kiss and concern for his well-being.

Selenity sighed as she removed her tiara and placed it on the nearby table.

“Shall we?”

 

In the event of a crisis, the royals were to be isolated in the Crystal Tower, as it was an ancient rumor that said it was constructed of the same magical properties that made up the Silver Crystal. It was in the northernmost corner of the palace, flanked on one side by the beautiful Serene Sea.

They moved swiftly through the servant’s corridors to avoid the crush of the hallways. They could hear panic through the hidden doorways as they passed them. Endymion was taking up the rear, Serenity clutching Sailor Mars ahead of him, and Venus leading with the Queen in hand.

An explosion rattled them off their feet, and the world was immediately filled with falling debris and blinding noise. Sailor Venus threw herself upon the Queen and shielded her as best she could as the fallout of the blast rained stone, wood, and glass down on them. Additional blasts from further away made her ears ring and the ground shake. She grit her teeth and prayed the floor would hold up.

Eventually the noise died and the debris began to settle. Sailor Venus became aware of coughing and mild complaints nearby, and breathed a sigh of relief that the rest of her entourage were safe and well. Selenity brushed dust and chips of plaster from her face and squinted her eyes open. Even with the shield Sailor Venus had thrown up around them, filth was not an offense she could protect against.

“Venus, are you hurt?”  
“Fine, your Majesty. Are you?”  
“I’m fine.” She looked around, her eyes betraying her panic despite the otherwise calm of her demeanor. “Serenity? Serenity!”

The reply was muffled. Sailor Venus sat back and looked about, hoping nothing more would fall on them. The wall of the palace and several rooms and hallways to both sides of the servant’s corridor had been blown apart and caved in ahead of them. The shield was retracted. She coughed on the floating dust and tried to assess where they were, where the footing was safest. To her right was the throne room; crossing it would lead to the courtyard, and then it would be a straight line towards the Crystal Tower.

Endymion was buried under Serenity, Sailor Mars, and various bits of dust and rubble that Mars had been unable to shield against in time. It would have been comical watching them attempt to stand all at once, were the situation any less dire. Sailor Venus helped Selenity to her feet, then grabbed Sailor Mars by the waist to haul her off the royal couple. Her second let out a little shriek of surprise and grabbed hold of her leader’s shoulders to steady herself.

“Oh, Eris, you are heavy,” Serenity groaned, clutching Sailor Mars as her balance revived.  
“And you are alive thanks to my muscle. To your feet, your Majesty, we must keep moving.”

Selenity rushed forward to embrace her daughter, tripping on broken stone in the process. She kissed her head and sighed with relief as Serenity murmured and clung to her.

“Is everyone well?”  
“We are,” Sailor Venus answered the King and pointed through the gape in the wall towards the north. “The Crystal Tower is a straight path from the throne room’s courtyard. That is our trajectory.”  
“A better idea would be to teleport the Queen to the tower first. When we return, we can bring Endymion and Serenity.” Mars gave the Princess a grim expression. “You must help us, we can’t teleport all of you at once.”  
“I can try…”  
“Allow me to help,” Selenity interjected. “I won’t leave my daughter behind. The sooner we all move, the sooner we will find safety.”  
“The Princess has not yet mastered teleporting with others. It would be far more dangerous if we tried and ended up somewhere unintended.”  
“I will protect her, if I must,” Endymion vowed. “Take the High Queen and the Princess together, if you can. I can follow by foot on my own.”

Selenity held up her hand for silence.

“No, I will not have us split apart. Mars, take my hand. Endymion, hold onto my daughter. Venus, on my mark.”  
“Oh, ancestors, I pray this works…” Serenity’s voice and hand trembled as she clutched her cousin.  
“Serenity, just breathe. You have done this before just as well on your own,” Sailor Venus coached. “Feel for your power and bring it forth, join it to ours.”  
“Endymion is in the way,” she giggled nervously. “Should we aim for the outer door? I have never been within the Tower, I don’t know how it looks.”  
“Yes, fine. Ignore him. Place your focus on us,” Sailor Mars said. “Your mother’s power is the boldest, all you have to do is latch onto it. Imagine yourself reaching out to take her hand.”

Sailor Venus glanced around at all of them —Selenity gazing at her daughter over the King’s shoulder, Sailor Mars’s trembling hands- and shut her eyes to summon and focus her power. She could all but see the Princess’ golden-white figure reaching out and taking Selenity’s hand, the vibrant red of Mars’ power, and the iridescent gleam of the Queen.

“Teleport!”

In the space between heartbeats, they were elsewhere. Sailor Venus knew they had missed their mark when the sounds of battle rang against her ears an instant before her body hit the ground. She rolled to a crouch and flipped her hair aside, frantically looking for the missing royals. To her left was the Crystal Tower’s entry, and all around her was chaos. Her communication link beeped, and Sailor Mercury’s voice rushed at her.

_“Venus! I have the Queen en route to the tower.”_  
“Where is the Princess?”  
_“I don’t know. I grabbed the first royal I saw and ran. We have Luna.”_

A blast of fire told her Sailor Mars was fighting nearby. A boom of thunder joined the crackle of flames, and lightning poured down from the sky. A shriek turned Sailor Venus around, and her boomerang was in hand before she knew she had summoned it. A woman in rags attacked, swinging a wooden shovel towards her head. The boomerang slid the pole-arm away just enough to avoid impact, and brought her close enough to strike. Her knee doubled the woman over, and Sailor Venus wrenched the shovel from her grasp. The broad side of it cracked against the woman’s backside and sent her sprawling to the ground where she lay, too stunned to rise. Sailor Venus felt her brows furrow as she recognized the woman for a terrestrial beggar.

There were terrestrials everywhere, some in armor, some in uniform, most in plain clothes and cobbled-together reinforcement. Few had any finesse in their assault; it was a melee not of armies, but of plain citizens gone mad. Sailor Venus attacked, and tried not to think about their dying cries as she called for her Princess.

In the distance, she spotted the vibrant white of Serenity’s ballgown. She was holding what appeared to be a piece of broken railing and swinging wildly at whomever came near her. Within reach, Endymion was dealing far more damage with his sword. Sailor Venus grunted and sprinted forward, hacking a pathway through the throng. Beyond the King and Princess, she spotted a figure with a scimitar slicing their way towards the royals. She screamed their names.

Serenity began moving first, dress hiked to her knees and eyes wide with fright. Endymion was close behind, a hand on her back urging her forward. The Princess’s royal insignia gave only a warning flicker before an invisible blast radiated from her, felling a circle of bodies and providing a clear path. The ground shook, and Sailor Venus stumbled.

She turned her gaze back to the royal couple, Serenity nearly in reach.

She watched the scimitar fly, watched the end emerge from Endymion’s middle.

Sailor Venus could only run forward to try and grab Serenity before the impact caused Endymion to collapse on top of her.

Serenity knew something was wrong when she met her cousin’s gaze, and as Endymion’s hand left her, she glanced back over her shoulder.

Serenity’s wailing was shrill and pained like a wounded animal. Another blast of raw power flattened a greater radius around her, and Sailor Venus felt the world grow dark for a moment as her head struck the ground.

Sensation returned gradually, painfully.

Everything tasted and smelled of copper.

Sound arrived in ringing, toneless waves.

The leader of the Amazons and Imperial Guardians felt her stomach lurch and turned to her side to vomit. Her vision swam as she coughed and desperately tried to sit up. Serenity’s name was called again and again until her voice began to cooperate.

Serenity bore witness to Endymion’s last, struggling breaths, her shaking hand groping for his, closing around the hilt of his sword still in his grasp. She bent to kiss his bloodied lips.

Sailor Venus’ scream was lost in the maelstrom as she staggered to her feet and drunkenly ran for the girl bathed in white among the filth of the siege. Serenity turned her gaze as she struggled to lift the sword to her breast and met familial blue. The sword tore her dress as it slipped and plunged between her ribs, and her expression registered surprise, followed by a dumb slackness. Deep red poured forth, staining her gown, her hair, Endymion’s clothing that hadn’t already been dyed in his own blood.

Her body collapsed against Endymion’s and, with the last of her consciousness, she strained to grasp his hand.

Sailor Venus fell beside their bodies, screaming, her vision burning. Her gloves turned red as she clasped Serenity’s hand on the sword hilt. She clutched the palm to her cheek, reeling with pain, her shock leaving her breathless. She watched Serenity’s eyes meet hers, her lips move faintly, and then there was stillness.

She gasped in disbelief.

And then she wailed pain without words.

 

“Venus! Where is the Queen?”

Sailor Venus was yanked away from the bodies and slapped hard across the face, once to each cheek.

“Selenity! Where is she?”

She gasped, shaking. Artemis was clutching her by the upper arms, and the physical pain gave her focus. Blood was pouring down his milk-white hair. His slit-pupiled eyes were too wide.

“Artemis —the Queen is… Tower. Serenity-”  
“Protect the Queen, it is your duty!” He slapped her again and then clasped her face in his hands. “Venus, you must do this. The Queen can save us all, but you must _help her_.”  
“S-Serenity, she-”

She felt tears finally roll down her face and could only gasp.

“I couldn’t save her…”  
“Help the Queen. Perform your duty, Venus.”

Artemis shook her sharply, reigniting the pain in her skull and radiating down her spine. The pain burned away the dumbing fog of shock and grief.

“Yes, I… I must help the Queen. Selenity. Sh-she’s at the Tower.”  
“You must go to the Tower. Now.”  
“Y-yes, I must g-go and p-protect Serenity.”

Artemis hoisted her to her feet and helped her remember how to walk. The courtyard was eerily empty of activity; most people remaining were the dead and dying. She kept her gaze on the tower ahead, her blood-slick hands dragging her sword along.

Protect the Queen.  
Get to the tower, protect the Queen.

A misstep sent her sprawling, and when she tried to get to her feet, she knew her ankle was sprained. She tore a length of cloth from one of the bodies and bound her injury, then persisted onward, clenching her teeth against the pain.

Perform your duty.  
Protect the Queen.

 

Sailor Mercury had frozen the door shut under a thick wall of ice. She was fighting alone against a familiar figure. Sailor Venus fired an attack and the man dodged much of it, taking only a cursory strike along one arm. He glanced back towards the origin of the assault. Her heart and throat seized when stormy grey eyes met hers. She tasted bile.

“Kunzite…?”

Using the moment of distraction, Sailor Mercury issued her own attack. It collided with his shoulder and sent him skidding, but not far enough away. Kunzite swung his sword and rushed at her. It was over in a moment. Sailor Mercury fell without a sound, gagging on her own blood as it pooled under her, vibrant against the white marble floors. Kunzite’s blade drizzled gore beside his feet.

Sailor Venus charged forward, her body throbbing with every heartbeat, her teeth bared. She screamed, and the inhuman sound of her voice rang against the stone. Her boomerang was merely a distraction; her Chain and sword lashed out, and she struck for him repeatedly.

Kunzite had become her enemy. He had slain her Imperial Guardians. His people had murdered their own King, and caused the death of her Princess. The man she had once called friend was trying to get to her Queen within her keep.

Sailor Venus roared as she lunged her sword’s point for his middle. She would slaughter him as he had slaughtered her people.

The man that had once returned her love now glared at her with hatred in his eyes.

Kunzite dodged in a move that was insultingly familiar; she had made him the warrior he was. In the space between heartbeats, as her gaze met his, she knew for certain he was a demon wearing the skin of her lover.

The man she had given her body to was trying to kill her.

Her sword gouged the marble as it was knocked from her hands, the broad side of his blade breaking a few of her fingers in the process. Her cry of pain was clipped short; her body slammed against the wall and her head cracked backwards. Kunzite shoved his forearm between her breasts and hoisted her to her toes by her throat.

The pain in her skull was a drumbeat. Her eyes promised vengeance.

“I loved you,” Sailor Venus grated out through her teeth. “I trusted you.”  
“You are so beautiful,” Kunzite replied. His eyes were as cold as the stone at her back.

She spat blood across his face.

“Selenity, take my prayer!”

Shock, pain, and exhaustion weighed heavily on her, and her voice trembled haggardly.

“Don’t let them win, make Chronos himself lament our fate! Hear me, Sele-”

The pressure on her neck increased, and her vision dimmed sharply. There was stickiness between the wall and her head. Her mouth gaped for air.

“Sere… nity protect… us-”

The crack is muffled by his gloves and Sailor Venus’ eyes widen in surprise, though her vision was quickly blackening. Her lips continued to move weakly in prayer, but her voice had abandoned her. Kunzite stilled her lips with a kiss and watched the light fade from her eyes, listened as her final breaths exhaled against his mouth.

When her pulse had stopped and she was well and truly dead, he laid her out on the stone floor and placed her sword along her body, clasping her hands around its hilt. Her eyelids were gently shut.

A drop of wet fell against her cheek. Kunzite glanced around, confused, and then touched his face. His fingers came away wet, the tears diluting the blood on his gloves. Between heartbeats, he was somewhere else; in his bed with Aphrodite’s body held against his, her fingers stroking his hair and her lips upon his. He could vividly taste the scent of her perfume; her skin; the sound of her voice breathed against his lips.

His lips shaped the words, and after a few attempts, his voice gave them life.

“I love you.”


	2. updated!

hey guys! quick notice -- **KINTSUGI IS BETA'D! WOOHOO!**

(Sorry for the dumb empty chapter, I just wanted to bump it forward. I don't think updated chapters bump a story overall. I'll delete this later.)

Oh, and just curious, but would anyone be interested in an annotated version? 'Cause I've got that on the burner, too. 

And, lastly, as stated in my notes, I'm moving forward with the full epic. I'm still in the outlining stage, and I'd like to get a few chapters completed before I begin posting in case life catches up with me. I've also got other projects (Roommates-related additions, possibly also moving forward with another Pokemon Go x multi-region fic previously shelved) so I won't be participating in this year's minibang. But I do hope to get new content up soon! 

Thanks so much for your patience and for reading <3 

**Author's Note:**

> A note about names: I chose to differentiate the Moon royals' names due to differences in the Japanese pronunciation, as a way to tell them apart and present them as distinct characters. Having two Serenitys in one room would have been so confusing.  
> Iaquaar was adopted from the Hebrew word _yakar_ , meaning _precious_. The pet-name Iaquaar calls her daughter ( _Aphrozjia_ ) is inspired by the Polish members of family and some close Greek families I grew up with. As far as I know, it doens't mean anything. I don't speak every language, or know every name in existence, therefore I apologize if this happens to mean something unpleasant in another language.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **If you liked this story, please kudo, comment, and share with your friends! Additionally, follow my[writing blog](http://jali-writes.tumblr.com/) for updates and WIP. **


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